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We all know that the owl and the pussycat went to sea in a beautiful pea green boat, but what of the famous "runcible spoon" they use to dine on mince and slices of quince? Edward Lear invented the word and never specified what he actually meant, but he illustrated The Owl and the Pussycat with what appears to be a giant ladle -- and, if a new exhibition is anything to go by, Lear's illustrations should always be taken as scientifically accurate.

Edward Lear and the Scientists, running at the Royal Society Library from 29 August to 26 September, will present some of Lear's gorgeous scientific illustrations of animals ranging from toucans to marmots. Lear may be know today mostly for his nonsense poems (of which The Owl and the Pussycat is the most famous), but his first career was as an artist and painter of zoological subjects.

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The exhibition will showcase many of his drawings from across his career, including a rare folio Lear illustrated in 1846. Gleanings from the Menagerie and Aviary at Knowsley Hall features illustrations of live animals living at the estate of Edward Smith-Stanley (the 13th Earl of Derby and Lear's patron), many of which -- such as the Malayan giant squirrel, the red lemur and the Quebec marmot -- were unknown to British science until presented to the Royal Society.

Click through to the gallery to see some the drawings and illustrations by which Edward Lear made his name.